Funds fight family violence, hide women from abuse

Tara Miko
Reporter
Tara started with APN in 2010 after graduating with a journalism and politics degree from Griffith University in Brisbane. After two-and-a-half years working on APN papers in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, she joined the team at The Chronicle in February 2013. In September that year she took over the reins of the Rural Weekly.

WOMEN fleeing violent partners and seeking refuge across the Darling Downs are being forced to dump mobile phones in an effort to remain hidden from their abusers.

Modern technology and its rapid evolution presented emergency care providers such as OzCare in Toowoomba with new challenges, which business operations manager Helen Whitton said was a "cause for concern".

"People are very inventive in tracking partners and our staff deal with that every day," Ms Whitton said.

"Everybody has a mobile phone and the software you can purchase legally for your phone is astonishing.

"It has caused significant issues across the refuge sector where people have been tracked through software of mobile phones.

"There are times we would ask people, certainly with smart phones, that they either remove the sim cards or until they do that, switch it off (and) buy a cheap phone from a local store, just to keep people safe."

Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Shannon Fentiman, touring Toowoomba yesterday, said the State Government's record spend in the sector would ease pressures on regional sectors.

Ms Fentiman said her department was aware of the disturbing technology trends and funds had been committed to addressing the issue.

"There's a recommendation in the Not Now, Not Ever report to look at how perpetrators use technology and I guess how we can use technology to counter that," she said.

"It is absolutely something we are made aware of through the work of our support services.

"There is funding available to some of the crisis services to make mobile phones and other technology available."

Official police figures reveal 761 women and 263 men filed some form of domestic violence application in the past financial year in the Darling Downs.

A further 507 women and 209 men made an application with south-west police in the same period.

Ms Fentiman said a newly announced crisis centre in Roma would go some way towards relieving pressures on Toowoomba's services.

"Because there has been so much attention and media around tackling domestic and family violence, more and more victims are speaking up and reporting incidents of violence to police, which is a good thing.